Pressed Flowers
by himeroru
Summary: Mist was a Latias who feared humans. But when she mysteriously became one herself, she realized the beauty of all life - and its fragility. OCxgijinka, single chapter, girls' love.


She thought she was in the ocean when she awoke. Deep blue surrounded her, and she had the hardest time breathing; this was not her home in the sky. Fortunately, she was not drowning, but hidden in a field of flax beneath the indigo hues her home displayed when it became evening. Still exhausted and disappointed to be so, so far from home, the Latias closed her eyes once more.  
The longing to be reunited with the flock tugged at her soul. It had been such a normal day, and they were all flying together, synchronized in a graceful flight pattern using telepathy. But above the northern reaches of Hoenn, there was an explosion in the sky. They never even saw it coming; from behind, a great thundering sounded. There was then a great shining, and she lost sight of the flock. She fell and lost consciousness, unable to handle such a sudden alteration in air pressure.  
Finally, the Latias opened her eyes.  
_Where am I?  
_She mustered the strength to sit up. But... no, Latias didn't sit. Their ability was Levitate, it was impossible for a Latias to sit down like a...  
Her attention was redirected from the sky to the smooth, porcelain-colored things that humans called "legs" stretched out in front of her. Apprehensively, she reached out and felt them with her new hands, traveling up her new legs to "knees", "hips", "breasts", "hair"... No longer did she have her fluffy down or translucent wings. She was more than just nude and exposed; she was a monster. She was helpless in every form imaginable, protected only by the thin rows of blue plants surrounding her; even the telepathic link she shared with her sisters was broken, now that her mind was reduced to that of a human. This instilled fear into her heart; not just of the dangers of the humans' world, the dangers of lacking the powers of Pokemon, but of herself; a newborn abomination.  
For a few moments she sat there, shaking in anxiety. She wanted to run away, but where? How could she reach the sky now that gravity imprisoned her? How could she get help from her Pokemon brethren if she couldn't communicate with them any longer? Even worse, a menacing human "house" stood only a few meters from her. Discovery by humans loomed imminently, and she knew better than to trust humans, thieves of Pokemon and destroyers of the Earth.  
But when a figure did appear on the wooden back porch, two odd things occurred. First, the Latias found that some of her Pokemon instincts were truly bound to her. She retained her sensitivity to the moral character of other beings. Of course, she was then surprised by the utter goodness, near purity, of the human staring at her from the faded blue porch.  
She was a tad short and pudgy on human standards but overall quite beautiful, according to the Latias, who had never seen a human so closely before. As the human rushed out into the flax field towards her, she watched in awe as her long, black hair danced in the breeze and deep mahogany eyes, almost hidden behind glasses, brimmed with worry.  
"Are you alright?" the human inquired frantically upon kneeling next to the Latias. "Where are your clothes? Oh my goodness, did someone_do _something to you? You can come in and use the phone to call the police if you need!"  
The Latias barely understood a word the human spouted. Do what? Phone? Police?_I fell from the sky_, she thought, forgetting that she had lost her telepathic abilities. She had to use her voice now, something she didn't quite understand yet, but was her only tool to communicate now.  
"I-I fell!" she stuttered, amazed at how loud her new voice was. She toned it down a little. "Fr... from the sky. I fell out of the sky where I was flying."  
"You were in an airplane?" the human asked.  
_Those infernal contraptions?_ "No, I was with my flock. There was an explosion and here I am in this field. All of a sudden I am a human."  
"What... you're not human?"  
"I am a Latias."  
The human's face immediately went pale in astonishment. She mumbled a few things, attempted to sort these new revelations out. Finally she appeared to decide on a course of action. "W-well then. Latias, my name is Persephone, but everyone calls me Perrie. Come with me to my house up here, and I'll help you out." Perrie proceeded to rise up and offer a hand to the Latias. "You must be feeling pretty helpless, huh? We are quite a ways from the sky here."  
The Latias smiled and took Perrie's hand to stand on her new legs for the first time. "Many thanks. My name is not Latias, however. It's Mistralle. The short version is just Mist."  
She was a little shaky, but managed to walk to the house as Perrie kept on the lookout for other humans and gave a crash course in the art of "one foot in front of the other". Fortunately, Mist hadn't lost her Latias-super-intelligence and caught on rather quickly, so by the time the duo reached the back door, all she needed assistance with was entering the home. (She still failed to comprehend why humans would confine themselves to such minuscule living spaces.) Soon enough, Perrie lead Mist into her bedroom to pick out clothes to borrow.  
Mist stood in awe of how comfortable humans made their small spaces while Perrie rummaged through the closet. The bedroom has a little messy, but homey, with glow-in-the-dark stars adhered to the ceiling, a small television connected to a couple of game consoles, and a plethora of books on biology - particularly botany. Above a dresser's top that overflowed with faux and pressed flowers, there was also a vanity mirror. Cautiously, Mist peered into her new reflection and nearly yelped in surprise. Her face was small and pale and her short, messy hair was a soft grey; if it wasn't for her youthful (yet still peculiar) golden eyes, Mist would look like an elderly human. Not that Mist wasn't old compared to humans' lifespans; she didn't have much of a need to know her age, but knew she was a bit over four hundred years old and quite young for a Latias.  
"You can sit down on the bed if you'd like," Perrie said, pulling out a small collection of blouses and shorts. Once Mist took her seat, she laid the clothes out next to her. Mist was pleasantly enthralled with the bright colors of the garments and immediately found what she liked. Despite a bit of underclothes trouble, Mist was soon dressed in a too-big Togepi-patterned shirt and a pair of blue-jean shorts.  
"Do I look nice?" Mist inquired.  
"Do a little model twirl first!" Perrie instructed playfully. Mist proceeded to spin around once, high on the joy of these little human conventions. While she rotated, she closed her eyes and was able to push her anxieties far away and live in this one, beautiful moment with her new friend, feeling nothing but lightness, floating on contentment.  
"Beautiful," Perrie admired.

* * *

The next thing to do, seeing as there was no telling how long Mist would be confined to this human form, was to get her set up to live as a human for the foreseeable future. Perrie already called her grandmother, who was out visiting a friend, to let her know that Mist needed a place to stay. In fear that it may bring unwanted attention and possibly danger, she didn't dare mention the true predicament at hand - Mist's mysterious transformation. No matter how much Perrie trusted her grandmother, Mist had already voiced her concerns regarding rumors she'd heard as a Latias about humans performing experiments on rare and abnormal Pokemon, of which she was both. With living arrangements sorted out, the pair now set off to find clothes for Mist on her excitement for human fashion.  
Of course, neither of them had much money, so Perrie and Mist went to the secondhand clothes store. Not that it mattered to Mist. She eagerly sifted through racks of dresses and was amazed to discover jewelry and hair accessories. With Perrie's assistance, she had a ball trying on outfits in the dressing room. After a while, they finally finished up clothes shopping and moved on to have lunch at a local cafe.  
"Humans live in families, right?" Mist asked while they stood in the lunch-rush line.  
"That's a little out of the blue," Perrie replied with a chuckle. "But yeah. Mom, dad, kids. It's different for some people, like me. My mommy moved away four years ago, and my dad is out a lot because he works as a truck driver. It's mostly just me and grandma."  
"Truck driver?"  
"Yeah, my daddy drives a big truck all over Hoenn to deliver goods for the Poke Mart company. It's really cool! He brings me photos of the different flowers around the region. But what about you? What's your family like?"  
Mist contemplated the question. "Well, it's not a family like... Hoenn's people," she replied, careful to not mention her Pokemon life. Her first question got the attention of one patron who, fortunately, just left. "We're more like friends, but closer. Like sisters."  
"That's right, I read that people like you live in fl... oh, look at that! We have to order!"  
Mist silently gave her thanks to Arceus for helping Perrie avoid that close call. What would the people think, humans living in flocks? She then ordered her food (or, more correctly, watched Perrie order for her so she'd learn), sat down to a booth, and continued the conversation. "You're very passionate about flowers."  
"Heck yeah!" Perrie replied. "I love everything about plants, but flowers particularly. My dream is to be a botanist and see the Gracedia flowers in Sinnoh. They're so pretty in pictures and bouquets, but I really want to see them when they're _alive._"  
"I've been there," Mist admitted. "One day, when I can fly again, I'll take you."  
Perrie blushed. "Really? You promise?"  
"You have my word."  
"Th-thank you so much!" Without explanation, Perrie looked away, attempting to conceal her rosy cheeks. It left Mist puzzled, but no matter. Humans were a peculiar sort.  
Soon, they left the restaurant and headed home to move Mist into her new home (even though she had few possessions). That evening, the girls had dinner with Perrie's grandmother. Despite her anxieties about human interaction, Mist was able to make a positive impression on Perrie's grandma as a "sweet, kind girl who deserves a break on her adventure. Bless your heart. Stay as long as you need."  
Soon afterwords, Perrie and Mist took a bath together. Mist had at first objected to it because she normally bathed in lakes and ponds rather than cramped tubs, but Perrie insisted on helping her wash her hair. Now they both sat in the warm tub water, surrounded by bits of foam from the bubble bath. Mist pretended she was back home again, turning the tiny bubbles into great, expansive clouds to fly and tumble about in. The nostalgia weighed heavily upon her, as if the entire sky pressed down on her head.  
"I miss my flock so greatly..." she sighed while Perrie massaged shampoo though her hair.  
"I understand," Perrie sympathized. "You feel so alone, don't you?"  
"Is that normal for humans?"  
"I guess. I feel lonely a lot. All my friends left to go on adventures, earning gym badges and entering contests. Mom decided she didn't love dad anymore. And even though dad's still with me, he works to much, too hard, though it's to support Grandma and me. So a lot of the time it's just me and I feel really upset. Betrayed, even. But I know that's selfish to think. So I go out into my garden and I talk to the flowers."  
"...But plants can't...?"  
Perrie giggled. "I know, it sounds silly. But the flowers are _living_. They deserve love and care just like anyone else. When I talk to them, my breath gives them carbon dioxide to live and my voice gives them love to thrive. Plus, they aren't going on grand adventures anytime soon."  
Mist meditated on this for a moment. "I suppose I do feel lonely without my sisters. There's a part of me that is missing, because that's where they belong. But I can't say that I'm perpetually lonely all of a sudden, because there's _you._ Perrie, you must be the most amazing human in the entire world! I though that humans were monsters, that I had lost a sort of purity I once had, but you proved me wrong. People have a certain beauty about them."  
"You really think so?"  
"I know so. That's why I like being around you so much. You embody human beauty, Perrie."  
Mist couldn't see Perrie's face, as she was sitting on her knees behind her, but could hear the smile in her voice. "I like being with you, too."  
Perrie didn't speak much for the rest of the evening, but when they curled up in her bed for the night, she kept close to Mist. When Mist began to toss and turn in her sleep due to night terrors, Perrie held her and hummed the old lullabies her grandmother taught her. Perhaps that was why, when she awoke that morning, Mist had no recollection of her nightmares. 

* * *

In fact, though the nightmares came almost every night afterwords, Mist never did remember them. Perrie would casually question her every other morning, asking how she slept, occasionally complaining about her own bad dreams. It was to no avail. Mist could provide no insight into her apparent terrors, so Perrie was unable to help her.  
However, Mist's sleep troubles were the only major issues she faced in human life. Of course, she caught some snags. She'd occasionally become melancholy and nostalgic for home or frustrated with the physical limits of her human body. But Perrie supported Mist through all the downfalls, and life was overall quite pleasant.  
Mist especially enjoyed all the learning she could do among the humans. Absorbing knowledge was simple for her; Latias were known for their high intelligence. Every time she got a hold of a book, Mist tore through it; books were quite possibly her favorite thing about human life. In addition to her literary explorations, Mist also dedicated a great deal of time to observing the farm and the town. Though she still took the time to talk to the other Pokemon, human conversation came naturally to Mist. She spoke to the people the same way Perrie spoke to the flowers, gently and compassionately. The neighbors became enamored with her graceful personality, and Mist became a sort of local celebrity.  
But what Mist enjoyed the most about living among the humans was being with Perrie. She regularly snuck out the the garden in the mornings to watch Perrie speak with the flowers, transfixed by the serene sight. Perrie would crouch down carefully beside the flora and converse delicately, as if to avoid damaging their soft petals with heavy words. The conversations were generally one-sided, but the topics were vast, from the weather, to impending homecomings of Perrie's father, to her infatuation with Mist. When she realized that Mist was sitting behind her, she would refocus her attention upon the other girl and enjoy the outdoors with her human company. They could spend hours out there, Perrie explaining the biology of her flowers and Mist revealing the beauties of the earth she'd recently noticed, like the individual buds on the flax plant. Although Mist didn't take long to understand human hygiene, she and Perrie fell into a habit of bathing together. They did most everything together, actually; cooking, reading, grocery shopping. The most mundane things to others were absolutely splendid to Mist, simply because she did them with Perrie. The days piled on, and the girls wouldn't have them any other way.  
One day, after Perrie's father went back to work following a week at home, Perrie did something a little peculiar. While the girls were curled up in Perrie's bed that evening, watching one of the Disney movies Mist had fallen in love with and snacking on M&Ms, Perrie moved her face closer to Mist's and pressed her lips against her's. She then pulled away, appearing a little embarrassed with herself.  
Mist knew that humans did peculiar things from time to time, but was quite surprised at what Perrie had done. She'd read about kissing in novels and picture books, but didn't understand it to be something like this. A kiss was, as she had learned, between a boy and a girl at some climactic moment, like after the prince slain the monster or the couple confessed their love in the rain. Girls did not kiss each other, not on some typical evening in a tiny shared bedroom, wearing too-big pajamas and watching children's movies. But Mist liked this kiss. "Why did you do that?" she asked quietly.  
Perrie's face was turning scarlet. "I did that... because I _love _you, Mist."  
For the first time since becoming human, it took Mist a good while to comprehend what just happened. Perrie kissed her. Not as a joke, but out of love. She hadn't a clue as to how she should appropriately respond.  
Mist found the courage to look into Perrie's deep russet eyes, leaned forward, and gave a gentle kiss in return. "I love you too."  
Needless to say, the girls became much closer after that evening. Kissing became a sort of normal thing, and though they didn't broadcast their relationship, they didn't deny it when asked. For Mist, human love felt even better now that it was requited. All the romance novels she'd read were nothing in comparison to how she felt now.

* * *

A few weeks later, the girls were out in the garden weeding. "So, have the other Pokemon said anything about your situation?" Perrie asked. "There's got to be someone, somewhere who knows about Pokemon-human transformation..."  
"No..." Mist replied. "All they say is generic things like, 'That's terrible!' or "I'm amazed you understand me!'. And the library's been of little help, too. There's not much information on my species, let alone my case."  
"We'll find something even...tually! I'm sure," Perrie reassured while pulling up a particularly difficult weed.  
Mist began to sniffle. "But... Perrie, I'm scared."  
"What?"  
"If I return to my original form... what if I can't see you anymore? What will happen to us? A love between an human and a Pokemon... it's an abomination! But if I'm stuck as a human forever, I can't truly feel comfortable..." She broke down into greater sobs. Everything that she tried to play off for months came rushing to the surface, spilling out like a fountain.  
Perrie rushed over and embraced Mist. "It's alright, it's alright..." she cooed. "I'm scared, too. But we'll make it through just fine. Something amazing occurred to bring us together, so something amazing will keep us that way."  
The sobbing was relentless, but Mist was able to calm down somewhat. She wasn't normally this emotional, especially not as a Latias. Finally, her tears subsided and Perrie stood up.  
"I want to show you something," Perrie said brightly, in attempts to cheer Mist up. She walked over to another side of the flower bed and waved Mist over. "Some seeds I mail-ordered finally came in. Do you see this flower they're turning into?" she asked, crouching next to a small, pink, Gracedia blossom.  
Mist sat next to her and nodded her head.  
"This is your flower, Mist. It's going to grow for a long time, so you can be with me. No matter where you go, not matter what happens, I'll never forget you."  
"It's cheesy, I know," she added, getting a little choked up herself. "But I love you so much, Mist. I love how you light up when you learn something and how you're so gracious and beautiful, not just in your appearance but in your heart. I'm so lucky to be loved by you."  
The sun began to set, and warm orange light reflected off Mist's light hair. It was gorgeous, as if the entire world came to peace for this one moment in the garden. Mist looked at Perrie, at her rosy cheeks and sun-kissed skin and smiling eyes and knew, in that moment, she'd found the best person in the entire world to love and be loved by. Their fingers intertwined, and Mist needed no words to respond; she simply kissed Perrie, she kissed her with love and passion and couldn't care less if they stayed like that until the sun rose again at dawn.  
But the peace couldn't last and dawn never came, not for Mist. An explosion, just like the one Mist heard on that fateful day, resounded from the middle of the flax field. Mist stood immediately and chased after it without a second thought. She needed to know what happened, needed to figure out how she'd be with Perrie...  
"MIST, NO!" Perrie shouted fearfully as she chased after Mist. In the air above the field, a menacing Pokemon appeared in a flurry of purple-black light.  
Dialga.  
Mist froze in shock.  
"This is what happened when I mistakenly distorted in this region's skies...?" Dialga mused. "But I've finally found you. My my. You're too human to be Pokemon now, but too Pokemon to be human. It isn't right at all. I'm sorry I made that mistake."  
Perrie caught up to Mist. "What's going on? Why is this Pokemon here?!" she asked frantically, unable to understand the language of Pokemon. However, Mist couldn't answer. She was transfixed on Dialga.  
"You were a human in a past life, Latias. I accidentally generated a time-tear near you months ago, and now your soul's state is confused between human and Pokemon. You can't live like this. You must move on to a new life."  
Tears re-formed in Mist's eyes.  
"This is the only way to set things right," Dialga stated. At that, he disappeared in a blinding light. Perrie closed her eyes for only a second to shield them, and when she reopened them, Mist had collapsed in the flax. She fell on her knees next to her.  
"Mist... Mist!" Perrie wept. "Mist, what happened? Answer me!"  
Mist opened her eyes only slightly. She smiled. "I love you, Perrie," she muttered. "Time needs to be set right... I'm the abomination, not us..."  
"What does that mean?" Perrie whimpered.  
"I won't forget you. Thank you, Perrie. Thank you for loving me."  
Mist took her last breath, and her soul evaporated with it. Soon enough she'd be reborn, and if she was lucky enough to meet Perrie in the first place, then perhaps they'd meet again in the next life.  
Perrie fell upon Mist's limp body in distress, weeping and wailing. "Don't... don't leave me! Don't leave me here, I'm all alone..." But Mist was gone, and Perrie's flood of tears could change nothing.  
She cried and cried in the field for hours. Finally, Perrie looked up, and her sobs abated. The flax field was no more. Mist left behind a new field, a vast, pink stretch of Gracedia flowers. It was proof of her life, her gratitude, her love. A final gift to Perrie, that Gracedia field never died.

* * *

A/N

Hello! (´・ω・)ﾉ It's been a while. How is everyone?

I haven't a clue where I got the idea for this fic. Mostly I wanted to experiment with writing queer romance. I also need to get in the groove of writing regularly, because I plan to write a lot more fanfiction! With canon characters and multiple chapters! And do NaNoRiMo! Yeah!

Anyway. I suppose this fic is a little cheesy... sigh. I also feel bad about making Dialga a sort of bad guy (even though I play Pearl). But characters were fun. I imagine that Pokemon, especially those that live in flocks (according to Latias' Pokedex entry, she does), have names for each other. They'd have to be able to tell each other apart somehow, right? And then there's Persephone, the flower goddess. (◡‿◡✿) Names are important!

Goodness, I make barely any sense. Thanks for reading!


End file.
